Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that can scale from a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience at 1080p to a borderline playable slideshow at 4K on the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + Intel Arc B570 platform. The measured frame rates show a system that is decisively GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom at lower settings. The data indicates that this combination is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it delivers a solid balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, rather than pushing for 4K Ultra settings that cripple performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all quality presets, clearly identifying the Intel Arc B570 as the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 162 FPS at 1920x1080 to 103 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 36.4%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at Low yields just 55 FPS, which is a 66% decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern is repeated at Medium settings, where the system goes from 124 FPS at 1080p, down to 79 FPS at 1440p, and then to 42 FPS at 4K. The scaling factor between 1440p and 4K is particularly punishing, with frame rates nearly halving, which suggests the GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus are being saturated by the increased pixel count and texture data.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (162 FPS) and Ultra (63 FPS) is 99 FPS, indicating that the CPU can still feed the GPU enough data to see a performance cost from raising quality. However, at 4K, the range narrows to just 34 FPS (from 55 FPS at Low to 21 FPS at Ultra). This compression of the frame rate range at 4K is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario, where the graphics card is working at maximum capacity regardless of the preset. The Core Ultra 7 265, with its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and high single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960), is not the limiting factor here; even at 1080p Low, the system cannot reach the 200+ FPS territory that would indicate a CPU constraint.

The 4K Ultra result of 21 FPS is effectively unplayable for a city builder, where camera panning and zooming require responsiveness. The 4K High preset at 31 FPS is marginally better but still below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the absolute minimum for playability. The 1440p High result of 59 FPS, however, shows that this combo can handle a demanding resolution with reasonable quality settings. The scaling data suggests that if you want to play at 4K, you must stick to Low settings (55 FPS) and accept significant visual compromises, or consider the Medium preset at 42 FPS, which is a middle ground between performance and fidelity.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Steamworld Build smoothly at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 55 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 42 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 31 FPS and 21 FPS, respectively. For a city builder, 4K is only viable if you prioritize frame rate over visual quality.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware configuration?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 59 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for most players. At Medium settings, it reaches 79 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS with room for large city populations.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 appears to provide sufficient headroom. At 1080p Low, the system hits 162 FPS, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor even at lower resolutions. The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads, along with its 42216 Cinebench R23 multi-core score, suggest it can handle the simulation and pathfinding demands of a city builder without bottlenecking the GPU.

Q: Is the 10 GB VRAM on the Arc B570 enough for this game?

A: The frame rate data suggests it is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, but the steep drop to 4K indicates memory bandwidth or capacity limits. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 42, and at Ultra it falls to 21, which points to the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth being insufficient for the data demands of 4K textures.

Q: Which graphics setting offers the best balance of FPS and visual quality?

A: At both 1080p and 1440p, the Medium preset provides the best balance. At 1440p, it achieves 79 FPS, which is 20 FPS higher than High and only 24 FPS lower than Low. Given that Ultra settings cut the frame rate by nearly half compared to High, Medium is the recommended preset for a smooth experience.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: This specific combination ranks 2320 out of 2924 tested combos for Steamworld Build, placing it in the lower 21st percentile. This suggests that while the CPU is strong (93rd percentile among all CPUs), the GPU holds the platform back, as the Arc B570 sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2320 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This is a low ranking, placing it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems for this specific title. The discrepancy between the CPU and GPU performance is stark: the Core Ultra 7 265 sits in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc B570 is only in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. This mismatch means the platform's overall ranking is dragged down by the graphics card, which is the limiting component in this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD EPYC 4464P and AMD EPYC 9124, with deltaPct values of -0.3 and -0.7, respectively. This means the Core Ultra 7 265 performs nearly identically to these server-class chips in general compute tasks. However, that raw CPU power does not translate to a high ranking in Steamworld Build, because the game is clearly more dependent on GPU throughput. The GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with a deltaPct of 0.1, indicating that the Arc B570's raw compute performance is on par with that laptop GPU. Yet, in this game, the combination still ranks low, suggesting that driver optimization or specific architectural features may be holding back the Intel card.

When looking at the percentileVsAllGpus score of 65 for the Arc B570, it indicates that this GPU outperforms 65% of all other graphics cards in general benchmarks. However, the combo rank of 2320 out of 2924 shows that in this specific game, the pairing is not competitive with the top configurations. The data implies that if you are building a system primarily for Steamworld Build, this CPU-GPU pairing is not the optimal choice; a stronger GPU would yield significantly better results, while the CPU's power is largely underutilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset yields an average of 162 FPS, which is exceptionally high and well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset delivers 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, indicating stable performance. The High preset drops to 93 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Ultra preset, however, falls to 63 FPS, which is a significant 39% decrease from High, showing that the GPU struggles with the highest settings even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable but begin to show the GPU's limits. Low settings produce 103 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p. Medium settings achieve 79 FPS (min 67, max 91), which is still above the 60 FPS target. High settings drop to 59 FPS, which is borderline but acceptable for a city builder. Ultra settings fall to 40 FPS, which is choppy and not recommended for a game that requires frequent camera movement.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce 55 FPS, which is the only preset that stays above 30 FPS. Medium settings drop to 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), which is playable but with noticeable stutters. High settings fall to 31 FPS, and Ultra settings plunge to 21 FPS. These 4K results confirm that the Arc B570 is not powerful enough for 4K gaming in this title, regardless of the quality settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the decisive factor in this system's Steamworld Build performance. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, the card provides a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both set at 2500 MHz, and it features 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The measured frame rates show that this configuration is insufficient for high-resolution gaming, as the 4K results are consistently poor.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when examining the synthetic benchmarks. The Arc B570 scores 14195 in Passmark G3D, which places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1). These results indicate that the B570 is a mid-range card that competes with previous-generation high-end laptop GPUs. In Steamworld Build, this translates to a card that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming but fails at 4K.

The frame rate scaling suggests the GPU's 10 GB VRAM is not the primary constraint at 1080p, where even Ultra settings achieve 63 FPS. However, at 4K, the combination of higher resolution and larger texture sets likely exceeds the memory bandwidth. The 4K Medium result of 42 FPS, compared to 1080p Medium's 124 FPS, shows a 66% performance drop, which is more severe than what would be expected from pixel count alone. This indicates that the memory subsystem is a bottleneck at 4K. The card's 18 RT cores are not relevant for this game, as Steamworld Build does not use ray tracing. Instead, the raw fill rate (200.0 GPixel/s) and texture rate (360.0 GTexel/s) are the key metrics, and they are insufficient for 4K Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend heavily on your target resolution and preferred frame rate.

For 1920x1080 users, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers 124 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a smooth experience even as your city grows in complexity. The High preset at 93 FPS is also viable, but the 31 FPS gain from Medium to High is not worth the 25% performance loss compared to the jump from High to Ultra, which only yields 63 FPS. Low settings at 162 FPS are only necessary if you have a 144Hz or higher monitor and insist on maximum frame rates, but the visual quality loss is substantial.

For 2560x1440 users, the Medium preset is again the best choice, providing 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS. This ensures that even during heavy zoom or panning, the frame rate stays above 60 FPS. High settings at 59 FPS are playable, but the 20 FPS drop from Medium to High is noticeable. Ultra settings at 40 FPS should be avoided for a comfortable experience. Low settings at 103 FPS are excellent for competitive play, but for a city builder, the visual fidelity of Medium is worth the slight frame rate reduction.

For 3840x2160 users, the options are limited. Low settings at 55 FPS are the only way to achieve a reasonably smooth experience. Medium settings at 42 FPS are playable but may cause eye strain during prolonged sessions due to lower frame pacing. High and Ultra settings (31 FPS and 21 FPS) are not recommended. If you must play at 4K, Low settings are the only viable option, but the visual compromise is significant. The data strongly suggests that 1440p Medium or 1080p High is the best overall experience for this hardware combination, offering a balance between visual quality and performance that the GPU can sustain.